Biography

Bass-Baritone Samuel Youn received his first vocal training in his hometown Seoul, and then completed his studies at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan and at the Conservatory of Cologne.

In 1999, he started his career at the Cologne Opera where he has established himself quickly as a leading dramatic bass baritone of his generation in roles like Amonasro/Aida, Tonio/Pagliacci, Kurwenal/Tristan und Isolde, Gunter/Götterdämmerung, Kaspar/Der Freischütz, Pizzaro/Fidelio, and the title role in Wagner`s Der fliegende Holländer.

Besides his commitment at the Cologne Opera, he has also been invited on many international stages, including Opéra national de Paris, Opéra de Marseille, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro alla Scala, Theater an der Wien, Teatro Real de Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Teatro di San Carlo Naples, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Sao Carlo Lisbon, as well as the Bayreuth Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.

In 2012, Youn had his international breakthrough singing the title role in Der fliegende Holländer under the baton of Christian Thielemann at the Bayreuth Festival, followed by re-invitations (2013-15).
2015 had him return to the Bayreuth Festival and the Deutsche Oper Berlin for various productions, as well as debuting at the Theater an der Wien in the title role of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Highlights of the recent past include i.a. Scarpia/Tosca, Créon in Enescu‘s Oedipe and Raimondo Bidebent/Lucia di Lammermoor at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Alberich in Das Rheingold and Siegfried at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wanderer/Siegfried, Holländer/Der fliegende Holländer, Kurwenal/Tristan und Isolde, Jochanaan/Salome, Scarpia/Tosca and Méphisto/Damnation de Faust at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jago/Otello at Semperoper Dresden, Holländer/Der fliegende Holländer and Hagen/Ring cycle at Theater an der Wien, Gunther/Götterdämmerung at Gran Theatre de Liceu Barcelona, Alberich/Das Rheingold and Holländer/Der fliegende Holländer at Teatro Real de Madrid, König Heinrich/Lohengrin at Opéra de Marseille, as well as Orest/Elektra, Wotan//Wanderer/Der Ring an 1 Abend and Scarpia/Tosca at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.
Furthermore, Samuel Youn performed the roles Wanderer/Siegfried, Don Pizarro/Fidelio, Vodník/Rusalka, Scarpia/Tosca, Leporello/Don Giovanni and the title role in Bartók‘s Bluebeard’s Castle.

Upcoming engagements include Kurwenal/Tristan und Isolde and Escamillo/Carmen at Opera Cologne, as well as Tomsky/The Queen of Spades and Alberich/Götterdämmerung at Lyric Opera of Chicago each under ther baton of Andrew Davis.

News

Following a "Superstar Alberich" in Edinburgh back at Opera Cologne

After a successful Alberich/Götterdämmerung conducted by Andrew Davis at the Edinburgh International Festival ("Youn's superstar Alberich acted and sang with vigorous malice"), Samuel Youn returns to his ancestral home at the Rhine where two exciting new productions await him. First he sings the Kurwenal in Tristan and Isolde under Francois-Xavier Roth and with Peter Seiffert performing the title role, and then he will interpret Escamillo/Carmen under the baton of Claude Schnitzler.

Tristan und Isolde: September 21; October 3 and 11
Carmen: November 20 and 23; January 2 and 7